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1997 “Che Storia” Barbaresco Riserva

I’ve spent more time searching for a write-up on this than anything else on the site…With that time I turned up nothing. Not that it matters, even if I love this wine none of us will ever find it again.

What I Think:

As mentioned above this one took some investigating to track down. There were lots of random markings on the bottle. It was imported by Santini but they had no information available this far back. Eventually I was able to track down, or at least I think, that it was bottled by Casa Vinicola Bosco Malera. This is only the second bottle I have had from Santini but when pulling the cork and seeing their name upon I recalled the other had the same. I wonder to what level their involvement goes. It appears as if they are custom making these wines for export.

Moving on, this bottle had been in my basement for quite some time. It may even have been the eldest member of the closet. On this Sunday I started making my Bonarda based pasta sauce at about three in the afternoon. Expecting good things I wanted to open a nice bottle of Italian wine. I have two that are in the $50 plus category around and outside of those two this was the best available. My frustration with my ability to truly enjoy Italian wines has been covered often here, given that the pickings were thin. I bought this long ago @ TJ’s which has carried it throughout the vintages (think they have the ’03 now). Given that the ’97 vintage from Piedmont was near perfect my hopes were running high!

Now to the tasting, after the first swirl and sip I found myself thinking could this be the one? Pulling the cork out I found it wet about half the way up, thought that may be of note. Hey it’s not often I open bottles of wine that are ten years old. On pouring into the decanter it may a good impression. Nice nose, interesting ruby/brown color. In the glass the nose seemed complex. It smells like, what I believe, an Italian red wine should. There are plum and cherries commingling but brooding with a hint of mint and loads of spices toward the end. On the palate the flavor profile reflects the aromas before a nice, complex, thick textured finish leaves tannins tingling in the mouth. As I was enjoying I began to wonder if my lackluster history with Italian wine make this seem better than it is. As it sat in the glass it seemed to be getting lighter in color (more brown) by the minute.

Either way, you are never quite sure what it is but the mystery is intriguing as it keeps you constantly guessing but you can never quite figure it out. This alone made it worth the experience. At $12 it is a little to expensive for a 12th bottle so we will upgrade to a rating of “Pricey” I have a bottle of the same wine from 2001. I’ll open that soon to see what a difference ten years in the bottle makes. If given the opportunity to buy the ’97 now I would do so again, as I don’t we will wait for the ’01 results before passing a verdict on these offerings.

One thought on “1997 “Che Storia” Barbaresco Riserva”

Think this is related to TJ’s new 2007 “Nerelo del Bastardo”? Unknown varietals, production location or even producer. Some wah-wah-wah on the label about “limited amount of allowed production” caused declassification of this Italian red, great value at $7, but still enjoyable, rich and fruity quaffer that overshadows lots of TJ “values” of bad, thin and acerbic reds under private label. Imported by Santini, it’s definitely a “buy.” I’d suspect a Nebbiolo grape or a similar blend from Piemonte?